Celebration Update: January 16th 2011 

We enjoyed a wide variety of services in the run up to Christmas. In addition to our regular speakers and the service led by our youth, we invited guests to challenge us in new ways. Quan Nguyen, a member of New Life spoke from Isaiah 54:2, encouraging us to “enlarge the place of our tents”, using examples from their family’s time in Vietnam, and telling us how they are responding to God’s call to move to Indonesia. Colleen Mounsey from Sheffield, led a highly visual and interactive family service where we all explored our place within the “Body of Christ”, and how we might develop these roles.

The end of the year was marked by our nativity service, where almost half the congregation were visitors. The feedback was good, with the visitors enjoying the relaxed family atmosphere of a typical Threshold service. Many members of the congregation took an active part. In typical Threshold fashion, this was followed by an excellent selection of homemade soups and cakes giving us all a chance to spend time with our friends in a church setting.

Our Interest Groups continue to flourish, with some groups such as Girls are Allowed who have been meeting for some time, other newer groups such as the walking groups who meet weekly, the pub quiz who compete fortnightly and the book group who meet monthly. The Christmas Open Mic night was such a success, that they have already been booked for next year. Many have already enjoyed the Fusion cooking evenings led by Su McIntosh, where demonstrations of South East Asian recipes are followed by a meal, and spices and encouragement are given for people to try the recipes at home. Other groups meet to share a variety of interests, but all mix Thresholders with those from outside church. We look forward to a time when many of these new friends start to appear at church events.

Many of us are in Formation groups, though some are able to meet more regularly than others. Ideally, we meet for an hour on a weekly basis and those who can testify to the benefit it has been to them.

Mark and Sue Protheroe are currently in the middle of leading an Alpha course which is helping a number of Threshold members and non church friends expand their thinking and friendships – and probably their waistlines too!

Last Sunday saw the start of our 2011 programme, with Mark Waby leading a series on “Expectations”, with the aim of raising our expectations that God will move when we pray, and that we should receive and use spiritual gifts. Marking the start of a new year, the service was started with a communion, and completed with a Bring and Share lunch.

We are aware that all we are doing will fall without prayer as our foundation. Please pray for the WelDun cong and its members that, in our daily lives, God will be at the centre of our actions and our words; that people will see God in us.

Please pray for:

our missional small groups that they will keep up their momentum and that new opportunities will arise in our communities, wherever we are.

the Alpha group that the leaders will have wisdom and insight, and that the participants will all come to a deeper understanding of how much God loves them.

our Formation groups, that people will find the opportunities to meet and build up a momentum in their prayer life together, and that anyone not in a group will find the right one for them, should they wish to join one.

Wednesday Church has “sort of” been happening for 6years. Like a lot of things initiated by God with our cooperation, it’s hard to point to that defining moment when something tangible came into being.

God was certainly planning when I did MSM and Nicky, Joy and I ran an Alpha course for 2 people – yes, more leaders than delegates! It was on this course that Sue Barlow became a Christian. Both of us were “mummies” at St Mary’s in Lincoln; Sue gave credibility to The Alpha Course (that I had been muttering about for years in the playground, to no avail) and we started an Alpha course for half a dozen ladies on a Wednesday morning. Alpha became A Life Worth Living (Nicky Gumbel) followed by If You Want to Walk on Water, You’ve Got To Get Out of the Boat! (John Ortberg) and so the group became church as we learnt together how to hear God, worship Him and grow in boldness to be lights in the world.

The group has changed a bit but has also grown (there are now a dozen of us). Sue B works intermittently on a Wednesday, so stepped down from leadership, but Pam who became a Christian doing bits of 2 or 3 different Alpha courses (God wasn’t going to let her go!), has joined the leadership team. Simon & Ann Baker have been our mentors and encouragers from the beginning, preventing us from giving up at the first hurdle!

Watching God work through the lives of the ladies in Wednesday Church is an awesome experience: God answers prayers and although I know this in theory, it is still spine-tingling when the prayer diary is opened each week and we acknowledge what God has done!

Comments from the cong!

 

We have been living in the village for just under a year and have begun to discover how the King has been working here all along...

 

We were introduced to Elaine by the local Anglican minister. She has been living here in Witham St Hughs (WSH) for 10 years and praying for much of that time for a Christian presence in the village. For the last few months Ann and Elaine have been praying together for the village and have started a weekly event in the new village hall to encourage community and friendship called "Tea Together". A variety of folk have joined them over the last 2 months and there are new relationships forming. Last week we met with Elaine and formed a team of three to further Christian community here. We are still a long way from having local services of public worship which we would not want to rush into and then find our energies absorbed; it's exciting though to be already working together and now starting to work out a vision together and finding out more of the King's plan for WSH, as well as seeing who else may be involved in the plan.

 

Ann helps in the primary school one day a week and that offers valuable contacts with children and teachers. Pop Connection (a Christian musical event for schools) looks like moving ahead in May with the full support of the school. Following the success of Synergy Impact last year, "Access Impact" is planned for April with Threshold youth coming over for a day to serve the community and get to know people (sign up please youngsters...).

 

In parallel with this a new Community Bible Study has started in North Hykeham with a healthy group of 10-12 members. This will encourage local Christians and perhaps be the "food" folk need to enable them to enter deeper into service for the King. Thanks for your prayers,

 

Access had a great few months leading up to Christmas. We had ‘Come Dine With Me’ after each Celebration where some young people were invited to a home to share fellowship and eat with a family. We’d just like to say a huge thank you to those that have been involved or expressed an interest, the young people have really enjoyed being part of it. We’ve also made more connections in Christ’s Hospital School and William Farr. Our Thursday club at William Farr has grown so much that over the next few weeks we’ll need to consider moving from the chapel to a larger room. Schools work is a real focus for us as we get to meet lots of young people on a regular basis, whether that be doing assemblies, lessons or lunch time and after school clubs. We feel blessed to be continually asked to be part of the school communities where many doors have opened for us. The detached project in Monks Road is now up and running, with a team out at least once a week making connections with the local community. Our year was rounded off with a glow stick disco where everyone threw some ‘interesting’ moves.

Our focus for the next month will be getting the mentoring programme up and running and we’ll be busy organizing the yearly residential to Edale.

For more information on what Access are involved in, ways to be involved and to view the Access blog visit our new website at www.accessyouth.co.uk.